Bari Weiss Reportedly Trying to Poach Scott Jennings From CNN and Bring Him to CBS
New CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is reportedly aiming to take conservative commentator Scott Jennings away from CNN and bring him to the Tiffany Network as part of her push to revamp its news operation.
The potential move, first reported by Semafor’s Max Tani on Sunday, signals Weiss is looking to bring right-leaning opinion voices aboard. Jennings, who routinely goes viral for offering the Republican view on the topic of the hour — as well as for verbally sparring with left-leaning pundits — obviously fits that mold.
Tani reported Jennings met with Weiss at CBS headquarters in New York City last week. His story followed a report from Status newsletter founder Oliver Darcy a few days earlier that said Weiss was targeting Fox News star Bret Baier as the next host of CBS Evening News. Baier, who is locked in a contract with Fox News that spans through 2028, put a swift end to any talk he’s jumping ship — telling Meghan McCain in an interview Monday that he’s “very happy at Fox.”
A CNN rep declined to comment when reached by Mediaite.
Jennings is a longtime Republican who served President George W. Bush as a special assistant and as his deputy director of political affairs, among other political positions.
More recently, he has become a media star as CNN’s go-to right-winger; some recent headlines include him defending President Donald Trump’s AI poop bomb video, saying it was “kind of funny,” and also saying he would not support Trump running again in 2028, despite what Steve Bannon is calling for.
One thing that could get in the way of Weiss poaching Jennings: his contract. Jennings, during an appearance on Mediaite’s Press Club podcast in September, said he “re-signed at the beginning of the year” and that he planned on being at CNN “for the next few years.”
Weiss took the reins at CBS News earlier this month, after Paramount acquired her NYC-based outlet, The Free Press, for about $150 million. Some of her new colleagues have been rattled by her approach so far — with the New York Times reporting some 60 Minutes staffers were “stunned” when Weiss asked them “Why does the country think you’re biased?”
